News
Lease Property Update(HAR Report)
March saw a mixed performance for lease properties across the greater Houston area. Leases of single-family homes rose 1.2 percent year-over-year, however leases of townhomes and condominiums fell 9.7 percent. The average rent for single-family homes increased 2.4 percent to $1,788 while the average rent for townhomes and condominiums increased 4.2 percent to $1,604.
HAR Report:“What’s about to happen to Houston real estate reminds me of Hurricane Harvey in that we are bracing for impact, but don’t yet know what the full extent on the market will be,” said HAR Chairman John Nugent with RE/MAX Space Center. “There are consumers out there for whom finding a home is critical, however, HAR has urged all Realtor members to conduct as much business as possible online, using technology such as virtual open houses, virtual tours and electronic signature documents, in the interest of protecting everyone’s health. What’s most important during this pandemic is for everyone to be responsible community stewards and heed the warnings of health experts and local officials,” added Nugent.
On March 20, all (in-person) open houses were removed from HAR.com out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of consumers and real estate agents alike. In the next few days, the website will introduce a virtual tour feature allowing Realtors to host and post virtual open houses and conduct virtual showings. Consumers can watch them live on HAR.com at scheduled times and Realtors can then share the recordings on their own websites and social media platforms.
(TMC Report and PDATE | May 12, 2020, 3 p.m.: The City of Houston is reporting an additional 153 positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total case count to 4,913. Additionally, one new death is reported for the city—a male in his 30s—bringing that total to 101. Yesterday, an individual between the ages of 10 and 19 died in Houston from COVID-19.
“This is a reminder that this virus doesn’t discriminate in terms of age,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a news briefing.
Starting next week, city council meetings will become virtual gatherings.
On Monday, the mayor’s office confirmed that Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer, DDS, tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement, Turner said: “I am praying for Council Member Letitia Plummer’s speedy recovery as she isolates at home. Based on my observations, she has been careful to protect her health and the safety of those around her by practicing social distancing and wearing facial coverings.”
The mayor also said he plans to follow protocol and will be tested for COVID-19 this week.
Turner also announced details for the city’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2021, which is impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
TMC Report andUPDATE | May 11, 2020, noon: Houston is reporting 4,531 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and a total of 94 deaths related to the disease—up 4 from May 8.
The Houston Health Department (HHD) and agency partners will set up new COVID-19 testing sites in vulnerable local communities this week.
• The Texas Division of Emergency Management and HHD will open a drive-thru test site at Moreno Elementary School, 620 E. Canino Rd., for residents in the Northside and Northline areas. The agencies will also set up a site at Holland Middle School, 1600 Gellhorn Dr., for the Pleasantville area. The sites will open today through Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until each reaches its daily capacity of 250 tests. Both sites require appointments; call 512-883-2400 or visit txcovidtest.org.
• United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC) will open a new drive-thru and walk-up test site at the Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library, 7007 W. Fuqua Street, in Missouri City. This site will be open today through Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until reaching its daily capacity of 250 tests. No appointments or symptoms are required for testing. For additional information about UMMC test sites, call 1-866-333-COVID or visit ummcscreening.com.
(HAR Report,HOUSTON — (April 8, 2020) — As COVID-19 ravages the physical and business health of the nation, its impact on the Houston real estate market only began to set in during the last week of March, and therefore caused little disruption to the month’s overall performance. The full effect of the pandemic is expected to become more apparent when the April housing numbers are tallied.
Even with some transactions interrupted before Governor Greg Abbott designated real estate as an “essential” service statewide as part of his March 31 stay-at-home order, Houston home sales were more than 11 percent ahead of the levels at this point in 2019. Consumers were still taking advantage of historically low mortgage interest rates through the first half of the month.
Single-family homes priced between $500,000 and $750,000 led the way in March sales, followed by homes in the $250,000 to $500,000 range. Leases of single-family homes were also up for the month.
According to the latest monthly Market Update from the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), 7,566 single-family homes sold in March compared to 6,995 a year earlier, accounting for an 8.2 percent increase and the ninth consecutive month of positive sales. The single-family home median price (the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less) rose 4.1 percent to $249,900, and the average price climbed 3.8 percent to $309,785. Both figures represent the highest prices ever for a March. Sales of all property types totaled 8,965, up 6.9 percent from March 2019. Total dollar volume for the month jumped 11.0 percent to slightly more than $2.6 billion
TMC Report and UPDATE | May 7, 2020, 4:30 p.m.: At a Thursday afternoon news briefing, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced 88 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the cases for the city of Houston to 4,227. In addition, he reported three more deaths, bringing that total to 85.
“This is just a reminder with these numbers that this virus is still prevalent in our community and we need to continue to engage in social distancing and wearing our face coverings,” Turner said. “That’s critically important.”
Joining the mayor virtually was Tina Knowles Lawson, who spoke about her work with daughter Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD foundation to offer expanded COVID-19 testing in Houston this coming Mother’s Day weekend.
Knowles Lawson stressed the importance of testing in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 within communities.
“If we can play some part in keeping those numbers down, that would make me really, really happy,” she said. “I’m just so proud of Houston for being at the forefront and for keeping the numbers down, but I just encourage everyone to go get tested. It’s really, really important.”
COVID-19 Recovery Czar Marvin Odum also introduced an expanded program aimed at increasing testing access and equity as well as the Houston Health Department’s plan to significantly add to its contact tracing workforce. Turner and Odum said both testing and contact tracing were critical to protecting Houstonians as the city moves into the first phases of reopening.
TMC Report and UPDATE | May 6, 2020, 4:05 p.m.: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a historic, first-of-its-kind celebration for the graduating class of 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts were forced to cancel activities, field trips, proms and other events to protect the health and safety of students and faculty. However, seniors will have the opportunity to return to their respective campuses on Friday, June 5, 2020 for an outdoor celebration.
“No doubt, there has been uncertainty as to how to celebrate the accomplishments of the class of 2020 with COVID-19. This unique class of scholars has persevered through one of the most challenging times in recent history with remarkable resilience,” Turner said during his daily press conference this afternoon. “The students earned their title of graduating seniors, and it is appropriate for the city of Houston to celebrate and honor their achievements in a way that reflects the culmination of this moment and the unity of our city.”
On the evening of June 5, every graduating class across the city will simultaneously return to campus grounds in their caps and gowns, while accessorizing with face coverings and practicing social distancing, for “a collective but personal celebration that salutes the achievement of graduates and reflects the unity of our city,” Turner explained.
While only graduating seniors and faculty will be allowed to participate in the outdoor celebration, parents, family members and friends will be able to join virtually.
(TMC Report andUPDATE | May 5, 2020, 7 p.m.:) Texas barbershops, nail salons, hair salons, cosmetology salons and tanning salons will be allowed to open on Friday, May 8 under restricted circumstances.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s modified executive order for a phased reopening of the state allows those businesses to resume at 25 percent capacity. Businesses should have one customer per stylist, appointment systems are preferred and waiting clients should employ social distancing inside or go outside. Abbott “strongly” recommends stylists and clients wear face masks.
Worship services, funerals and burials as well as weddings remain under some social distancing measures. Restaurants were allowed to open as of May 1 with 25 percent capacity limitations indoors that doesn’t apply to outdoor seating. All still must comply with social distancing.
Gyms will be allowed to open under restrictions beginning May 18 with showers and locker rooms closed during the initial phase.
Abbott said he was guided by data showing that, as of Tuesday morning, there remained more than 19,000 hospital beds, 2,000 ICU beds and more than 6,600 ventilators available statewide.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- On the first weekend of major businesses reopening in Houston, mayor Sylvester Turner said the city matched its highest single-day death total on Saturday.
The mayor reported 115 new COVID-19 cases and five new deaths, which brought the death toll to 65, with nearly all of them involving an underlying health condition.
"In this entire time period, we've never reported in the city of Houston more than five deaths, so this equals the maximum that we have ever reported of people that passed away on any given day," Turner said.
Statewide, Texas has hit a third straight day of more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases Saturday as the state charged into its first weekend of reopening the economy.
Residents are allowed to go back to malls, restaurants, movie theaters and retail stores in limited numbers.
(TMC ReportUPDATE | May 1, 2020, 3:15 p.m.:) Harris County’s ‘Stay Home, Work Safe’ order officially ended today as Phase 1 of the governor’s reopening plan begins, but local leaders including health care executives urge the community to remain vigilant and to continue the safety practices established over the past two months.
At a Friday morning news conference, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo reiterated that the pandemic is not over as Texas reported 50 deaths on Thursday and more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19. In addition, Harris County reported 97 new cases and 1 additional death outside the city of Houston.
“It’s a grim reminder that this virus doesn’t respect dates on a calendar,” Hidalgo said. “It’s impossible to pull a date out of thin air and say to the virus: ‘We’re ready for you to go away now.’ That’s not how it works. That’s not how any of this works. We can’t allow ourselves to be desensitized to what’s happening, to lose our sense of humanity. Fifty Texans—brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, sons and daughters—had their lives cut short yesterday from a single, invisible killer that still lurks among us.”
Hidalgo urged people in Harris County to reopen slowly for the sake of public health.
“If the virus spreads like wildfire and the hospitals run out of space, or are running out of space again, things are going to have to shut back down—again,” Hidalgo said. “If we do the re-opening step by step, carefully, there’s a chance of succeeding by slowly reopening if we’re able to contain and we’re able to test and we’re able to trace.”
Hidalgo noted that the Texas attorney general issued a clarifying letter to try to clear confusion about what businesses could open and which should remain closed.
“If you’re not essential, as defined by the order I issued or by the governor’s order, and you are not reopen as classified under the governor’s order—the three reopenings he listed—you should be closed,” the county judge said.
She added that she would reissue her order later today to conform with the governor’s order and the attorney general’s clarification.
“Just because you can open, doesn’t mean you should,” she said, also announcing that she was adding another “T” for “teamwork” to her “test, trace, treat” reopening strategy.
“That ‘T’ involves every single resident in Harris County,” she said. “If these doctors and these nurses get overwhelmed, people die en masse. Plain and simple.”
Joining Hidalgo at this morning’s briefing was Esmaeil Porsa, M.D., MBA, MPH, president and CEO of Harris Health System; Umair A. Shah, M.D., MPH, executive director of Harris County Public Health; Marc L. Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist Hospital; and Paul Klotman, M.D., FACP, president and CEO of Baylor College of Medicine.
